Picking Up Where I Left Off...Big Bass

For those that read my post from last week know that our evening on the water was cut short by the evil combination of Mother Nature and Old Man Winter.  I really don't like having my time on the water cut short due to weather conditions.  In fact the weather needs to be pretty bad for me to throw in the towel. 

Less than a week later I find myself again loading up the kayak to head to the same body of water where on the last trip I landed my biggest bass to date.  The weather conditions today were nothing like the trip prior. These temperatures were in the upper 50's, low winds, and overcast skies.  Needless to say I was feeling pretty good about my chances of possibly landing another bucketmouth.  I leave the house for my 5 minute trip to the launch.  On the way there I think about how many guys beat me out on the water.  I said to myself, "I bet Forrest will be there." Much to my surprise I pull into an empty parking lot! Honestly I was surprised when I didn't see any vehicles.  After the short unload, who do I see stop next to me in the middle of the road...Forrest!  I knew he had to be around somewhere. If he's not fishing, he is close by.  After a brief conversation, it's time to hit the water.

I was like a little kid with a new toy on Christmas day.  This was the first time out with my new GoPro Hero2 mounted on a YakAttack PanFish Portrait w/ Mighty Mount.  Boy is this a sweet setup!  I paddle to a spot that I have not tried before and it did not produce.  Oh well, that's how you learn a lake. Next spot I head to is where I caught my big bass from last week.  I had a good feeling about this stretch so I hit the record button on the GoPro and gave it hell.  "Hello Bass, my name is Richie and I will be your server today. Today's special is a 4" Rapala Husky Jerk, with a side of 30lb PowerPro braid on a 7' medium heavy rod. Can I start you out with something to drink?" About 10 casts later I get an order, it's a 15 1/2" bass.  First fish on the new GoPro for this guy!

I still had a good ways to go before I picked up and went to another spot.  A few cast later and THUMP!  This is a BIG fish!!!  This fish stayed deep, just like I wanted.  After a short but tough battle, another slob of a bass is in the boat. "Please be citation, please be citation!"  21 3/4", just a quarter inch short!!! This bruiser was caught within 10 yards of where I caught my other pig from last week.  The best part is I got the hook set on video!  Once again, my day was made right there.  I just landed my new biggest bass to date and it's all on the GoPro.

The next couple of hours coughed up 2 more bass, one going 17 3/4" and the other going 19 1/2". At
this point I'm on Cloud 9. I could not have drawn this up to save my life!

17 3/4" bass

19 1/2" Bucket

Smile wide for the camera!

In between the studly bass I managed a half dozen pickeral, the biggest going 22".  No pictures were taken of this guy. He decided to swallow my crankbait. A little surgery on this fish and it was back in the water to get him revived.  After a little prayer, he slowly swam off.  I did happen to come accross a scrappy 19" pickeral that didn't mind having his picture taken.

19" Pickeral

The sun starts to set and it's time to call it a day, a GREAT one at that!  The best part of days like this is the paddle back to the launch.. Replaying the hook sets, headshakes, screaming drags, topped off with the sounds of eagles and the nice side of Mother Nature.  My day did not end with sleet, snow, and 20mph winds.  It ended the way you would want it to...Big fish, beautiful weather, great memories, and a few stories to tell.

Nice to Winter Wonderland in the Blink of an Eye

So let me begin by saying that I was NOT going to fish today because the weather forecast looked crappy for the afternoon. More on that later...I figured since I caught a few nice crappies yesterday with my wife and PhillyJoe that I would take it easy and stay home today. That all changed when I get a call from my buddy Marty (PAhillbilly) to hit the water for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Like the sucker I am for fishing, I say "Lets Go!". So about 30 minutes after I hang up the phone, Im pulling out of the driveway to try and peg a couple of nice bass
and pickeral. Marty and I meet up at the launch around 3pm and planned on fishing until dark. On a day like today I thought we would have the lake to ourselves, I was wrong. Forrest and Rob Choi were already on the water. I should have seen that one coming. We meet up with them on the water to say hi and then head off to our own spots. Forrest and Rob already had caught some nice fish so I was feeling pretty good about the trip. I get a strike on my third cast and missed him, good start so far. So about 4 casts later, BANG, this fish is hooked! When I set the hook it felt pretty good. After a some headshakin and thrashing on the surface I was rewarded with a 21 1/4" bucketmouth. This thing had to weigh 6+lbs. That fish made my day right there! 








After that I managed about 6 pickeral, biggest going around 22". Marty also caught a handful of pickeral. As the sun starts to fall..Rob, Marty, and myself meet up and start BSing. Rob said that nasty weather was headed our way, so we decided to make way for the launch. Thats when all hell breaks loose! High winds mixed with sleet and snow!!!! Straight miserable! If I didn't put on my hood it would have hurt!  Long story short, we left the launch with freezing hands, snow on our yaks, and plenty of laughs. I wish I could have got more pictures. All in all, a memorable time on the water!